Challenger

I'm going to preface this review by saying I'm a huge fan of the southern-rock sound MMF had on Sleepwalking. I'm not going to try to say they don't sound kind of generic. I passed up The Hollow because of the straight up metalcore approach they took with it, and was going to do the same with this one, but I decided to give it a listen on Youtube. I found myself listening to it straight through over and over, and enjoyed every second of it. All that is to say, it is another record out of Rise, and sounds like it too; but it's amazing all the same. Challenger has a much more mature sound than The Hollow did. The Hollow was MMF's growth period, with this record they've figured out their groove and are blasting it as hard as they can. Challenger is awesome instrumentally. The guitarists, Kellin McGregor and Anthony Sepe, are incessantly tearing up their fretboard with blistering riffs and launching into heavy breakdowns, seconded by drummer Jake Garland. There is a great atmosphere to this record; electronic over-production is replaced with sweet strings and synths that really improve and support the sound rather than distract the listener. One of my favorite elements to this album is the vocals, belted by Matty Mullins. The cleans and screams are always spot on, and perfectly clear and cohesive. Every song has a great meaning, with straightforward, passionate lyrics. Several songs have a theme summed up from these lyrics from the song Legacy, "Lift up your eyes discouraged one - When you feel like giving up - when they say it can't be done - it's up to you to show them why they're wrong."There is hardly anything I dislike about this album. Even the outtro track has much more musical structure than most instrumentals. I think it's safe to say they're not ever going to go back to that southern sound, but after hearing this record, I might say I'm okay with that.

Memphis May Fire has been great for forever, but they fall a little flat on Challenger, and here is why. If you loved the depth of The Hollow, don't expect any here. The songs are a bit generic and lack heart. My biggest issue, though, is the screamed vox. There is way more singing than screaming, and the screams have lost some impact. They aren't as heavy and growly as they seemed in the past, almost staying consistenly in a mid-range. There is little transition. Now don't get me wrong, MMF still puts out a good product, but if you are looking for something as awesome as The Hollow, you won't get it with Challenger.

While the amount of soul-baring on Challenger almost juvenile, Memphis May Fire can never be accused of writing filler. While the musicianship isn't ground-breaking (most of the rhythms will escape your notice unless you're trying to play them) the story vocalist Matty Mullins crafts on each track of youthful struggle rings true in the conscious of most of us. The subject matter of each song is substantial (an important qualification for any music) and the choruses are all beautiful and catchy.Fun, inspirational, and great sounding, listening to Challenger will make you feel as young as these guys, and superimpose your life into their songs. Highly recommend.Pros: Lyrically excellent and inspirational, lots of fun sing-along bits, very easy listen.Cons: Musically, nothing you haven't heard before.

This exceeded my expectations. Unlike some, I was hoping for something very similar to The Hollow. Although I like the southern aspects of the earlier albums very much, these guys were at their absolute best with The Hollow. Well, they did stick to that style, built on it, and made it even more exciting and fun. There's so much going on rhythmically in this album, and the melodies are awfully catchy. And the breakdowns are killer. If you like the last album, you'll love this.

This CD is awesome, this band is awesome, and all the songs are amazing. My favorite song is Losing Sight cause it has a great beat, catchy chorus, and a great meaning. Every single song on this is my favorite song on this CD and I recommend it to everyone! (Except older people, it might be to intense for them)

Memphis May Fire is a great band. I highly recommend this album if you are new to their music. It's a great representation of what the band is. They have some softer songs (Miles away), and great harder songs (Alive in the Lights).Matty Mullins is one of my favorite artists, and has really created some great music over the years. I highly recommend this one.

My wife just asked me if I was "nodding" at what I was reading and I had to explain that I had a song from this album stuck in my head.What a stunning album! I've listened to it every day since I bought it, some days twice. High energy, uplifting, moving, and always powerful. The breakdowns are fantastic. The arrangements sometimes take a right turn without being jarring at all. The guitars and keyboards are brilliant, I keep hearing new things at each listen. The singing is awesome, he can switch between guttural to screaming to amazingly melodic and heartfelt without skipping a beat or sounding silly. This is a mature effort and I will be very surprised if this band doesn't get more recognition from here on out.

the vinyl came to me terribly warped, I cannot even play it on my turntable. although its a first released print, I wouldn't mind if I was sent a proper unwrapped vinyl, as you already know that these records are very sensitive to heat and pressure.